How to travel CABO on a budget

People think that it requires way too much money to have a good trip, but with all the traveling I've been doing lately I've discovered that traveling in Mexico can be as cheap and safe as my travels in Europe. If you're an exchange student in Mexico, or you're just looking for cheap ways to travel with friends, heres a few tips that will make your future trip to Cabo possible.

This spring break, a friend and I decided to go to Cabo San Lucas, she lives in the US and told me we should plan the trip together. I immediately went over to vivaaerobus.com and after some research I found a round trip for 2300 pesos (120 usd). My mind was made 😌


Flight Tips

When using this website...

• be flexible on the dates of your flight, you'll be surprised on how much a price can change on a flight leaving on Friday than on Wednesday
• As soon as you pick both dates of your round trip don't freak when you see how much the price increased, this is because the website automatically checks every extra service you can book, you can uncheck all except the one to pick your seat
• since this is a "budget friendly" airline you are only allowed to take 10kg of luggage, this includes both carry on and your bag (they weigh them together)

• be sure to pick your luggage preferences properly because paying for an extra kilo when checking in at the airport can be as expensive as having booked the second or third option when making the reservation

Once I had my flight I started looking for an apartment to rent on Air bnb, but soon realized the prices were too high for just the two of us. This is a great option if you're traveling in a bigger group. So I started looking for hotels near the city center. I wanted a place where we could easily walk to both the club area and the beach without the need of a taxi. Taxis in Cabo are suuuuuuper expensive, 10 to 15 usd just for a 5 min ride, 40 usd if you want to get to San Jose del Cabo. So I found this place called CABO INN which was 2 blocks away from the club area and a 10 min walk to the beach. 

Why CABO INN was a great option

• We paid 50 usd per night in an ensuite two bed room, that is 25 usd each!
• There was an outdoor kitchen area where we were able to cook our meals, this saved us a lot of money, specially on breakfast
• We had a mini fridge in our room where we kept our alcohol for the pre game before the club 😜
• The rooftop pool was super cute and perfect for a tanning session
• Since it was a relatively small hotel all guests and staff were super friendly and helpful 😊
• We had a store where we bought all the food, alcohol and snacks that was just two doors down from the hotel
• We had access to any info regarding whale tours, boat parties etc. at the front desk
• And since it was a hotel we had housekeeping everyday!

Pro Tip: I made my reservation with booking.com and when I checked in at the hotel the guy at the reception told me "next time book it directly with us, its waaaay cheaper" (booking.com charges a 10% service fee) so make your reservation directly with the hotel your wish to book.

What to do in CABO

Since we saved so much of our budget staying at this hotel, we had extra cash to spend on tours. It was whale watching season in Cabo so we made that tour first, which was an amazing experience. We also saw the famous Arch and the sea lions that were near by.

We didn't get around to go on the sunset tour, but we definitely wanted to. This was basically a boat party that included an open bar and dinner where you could drink and watch the sunset over the Arch.

Go to this website to book the whale watching tour and/or the sunset tour. They also offer a snorkeling tour option!

There are also boat tours to the Arch that leave from the beach instead of the pier, this are shorter tours and a cheaper option if you just want your picture with the Arch (10 usd per person) The later you go on the day the less crowded the boats will be. We went around 5pm and had the entire boat to ourselves.

Pro Tip: book all tours online before you arrive to Cabo, its way cheaper than calling and making a reservation on the phone.

Pro Tip 2: Cabo Escape often has promos of 250 pesos (13 usd) for the Moonlight boat tour which includes open bar so call and ask for this specific tour and check if they have the promo available during the days of your trip. I'm pretty sure they only have this promos on the weekends.
Contact: 624 105 0177 (from a Mexican phone) and +52 1 624 105 0177 (from an international phone)

The Clubs

As beach clubbing routine goes... we always pregame at our place, arriving at the club with a buzz over being sober is so much better. Also because around spring break, clubs are packed with people and it may take you a while to reach the bar.

• Get to the club around 1 and 2 am, this is the best time in my opinion. Clubs don't get full until 2am anyway
• If you don't want to pregame at your hotel theres a place where you can get one dollar shots of tequila called Happy Endings, lots of people pregame there
• Pay with pesos as much as you can since not all people take the dollar at its right price. For example the taxis and the places to eat after the club, such places take the dollar as low as 17 (regular 20)

Take into consideration that Cabo on spring break is full of college students from the US. Everything from the souvenirs at the beach and the music at the club is catered towards them. Meaning no latin music at the club, mainly hip hop and electronic music. You won't hear any reggaeton unless you go to La Vaquita after 3 am.

So heres my list...

• Mandala: where all the rich americans go to, not enjoyable unless you have a table
• The Squid Roe: where all they party starts and ends... great entertainment, biggest club and good drinks.
• The O club: fanciest club but since it just opened it was not as full as other clubs
• Abolengo: good if you want to sit down, drink and smoke shisha (aka hooka)
• La Vaquita: crazy party, best litros and reggae ton after 3am
• Happy Endings: pregame bar, 1 dollar shots
• Nowhere Bar: the bar where all the locals go

Our first night at The Squid Roe 😂

**Theres more clubs and bars in Cabo but those are the ones I went to

The Beach in Cabo

Mango Deck is the place to be. If you've ever seen videos of spring breakers going crazy in Cabo they were definitely at Mango Deck. If you're going with a group of people, call ahead and book a table since the place gets pretty crowded everyday. We just chilled by the beach area and ordered drinks there. As long as you consume 20 usd worth of drinks you get seating for free.

Exhibit A

This is a perfect representation of a Before and After pic

While walking along the beach we were invited by some PRs to a pool party at a hotel by the beach, it was such a good idea to go since the place was super nice, the music was great and there were no entrance fees 😉

As for restaurants on the beach... a place called The Office is pretty darn good. Its located right next to Mango Deck. The food was delicious and the service was amazing. Its the perfect place if you're looking for a traditional Mexican experience, besides the fact that you can't beat the beautiful view it has of the beach.

Cabo Music Fest

Coincidentally the CMF was during our first weekend there, after seeing the lineup and prices we decided it wasn't worth the 4000 pesos (209 usd). We were offered a half price deal but still we rather do a boat tour than go to the festival. Also because it was in San Jose del Cabo not in San Lucas and the taxis there were an extra 40 bucks. Not until a friend of mine gave us free bracelets we decided to go 😅 (perks of being a girl ;)

The staff there was pretty cool because even though food wasn't allowed to enter they allowed my pineapple entrance, as long as I gave them a shoutout on my blog so here you go!

The people in charge of putting this event together really did go all out to make it enjoyable for everyone. The food was amazing and there were all types of fun activities to do while the DJs were playing. As for any first time event, there were less people than expected, but I'm pretty sure next year more people will show up.

Overall it was a great trip and would definitely recommend even just as a weekend trip. Definitely take advantage of the opportunities Mexico has for travel, lost of beautiful beaches, nice people and great food. I have more posts coming up on how I travel other parts of Mexico on a budget. Thats it for today 😊

Thanks for reading,
-Dany